Improvement in cotton-presses



UNITED ,sT-ms@ @Fries PATRICK' BYENE, or NASHviLLE, TENNESSEE. ,y -A

IMPRQVEIMENT iN corrclx'i-ijii'ssi-:Isi-4 Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,453, dated August 25, 1874; application filed J une 13, 1874.

Toy all whom it 'may concern:

Be it ,known that I, ,PATRICK BiRNE, of Nashville, in the coun ty of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and valua` ble Improvement in Cotton-Presses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the 'annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a representation of a sectional view of my cotton-press. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional detail. f Fig. 4 is a detail view.

This invention has relation to cotton-presses of the horizontal kind, wherein toggle-levers are employed in combination with a screw for actuating the follower.

The nature of myb invention consists in the combination of vibrating haiid-levers carrying pawls, with a screw-shaft carrying ratchetwheels and hand-cranks, and with toggle-le-y vers, as will be hereinafter explained, whereby the follower can be rapidly moved when there is little or no resistance to be overcome, and whenthere is considerable resistance to be overcome a much greater force can be exercisedy by the use of `said levers and their ratchets and pawls acting on the screw and its toggle-levers. 1t also consists in a novel construction of the press-box, whereby strong tierods are used instead of horizontal beams for securing together the vertical and horizontal beams, as will be hereinafter explained.

The following is a description of my improvements:

In the annexed drawings, A designates the stationary grooved head of the press-box, B the floor thereof, and C thestationary housing, in which the grooved follower D works. E E' designate transverse sill-beams. F F are strong horizontal beams, one of which is rigidly secured to the upper end of the head A, and the other is similarly secured to a verl tical post, G, which rises from one of the sillbeams E', and is strengthened by means of truss-rods a. The sill-beams and the top beams, together withhvertical'posts b b' for the housing G, Vare all vsecured together by means of four horizontal rods, c c1 c2 c3, which are passed through said beams and through the vertical posts. VBy thus constructing the press-box frame it can be readily erected or taken to pieces, and it possesses great strength and durability. This frame is provided with two side doors, H H, and a top door, I, which latter not only covers the chamber in which the material receives its final pressure, but it also covers the housing C. The battens d of the vertical or side doors H H are pivoted to the two lower rods c c1, and the upper ends of these battens are notched upon the rods c2 c3. The battens e c of the door' I are pivoted to the rod c3 and notched over the rod c2. When the three doors are shut, they are confined by means of pivoted bars J J, Whose free ends are received beneath hooks f f,- also, by means of a bar, J which is applied on the ends of the battens of door I, and beneath hooks g g on the upper ends of the battens of doors H. In addition to the fastenings above named, I use for holding down the top door Ia crossbar, h, which receives through its ends the two longitudinal rods c2 c3, and which is free to slide on these rods. At the center of the follower D is rigidly secured a block, t', to which two toggles, L L, are pivoted, which are again pivoted to two blocks, M M, through which a right-and-left hand screw, P, is tapped. To these blocks M M another pair of togglelevers, L L', are pivoted, which are again pivoted to a block, i', secured rigidly to the post G. The levers and blocks are arranged in a horizontal plane, and through the two blocks M M the right-and-left hand screw P is tapped, as above stated, carrying crank-handles p p, ratchet-wheels, j j, and long levers K K, on which latter are pawls l Z for engaging with the ratchet-wheels jj. The ends of the screw P pass through slots, which are made horizontally through two beams, N N, which are secured to posts rising from the two sillbeams E.

When the press-box is filled, the followerD is moved up by turning the cranks p p until the resistance becomes very great, when the work of pressing is completed by vibrating thelevers K K. When the bale is pressed, the three doors H, H, and I are opened, the bale is strapped, and the follower run back ready for another pressing operation.

a follower, all operating in the manner described.

2. The transverse sill-beams E E', horizonl tal beams F F with the vertical posts b b for the housing C, all secured together by the heri-r zontal rods c cl c2 c3 passed through said beam and posts, for the purpose set forth. v

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

` PATRICK BYRNE. Witnesses:

J ORN MCDONALD, I). N. NEYLAN. r 

